JEFFERSON CITY — The first day of the 96th General Assembly, First Regular Session began with 17 newly elected and re-elected members taking their oath of office in the Missouri Senate.

Twelve new members, who each won their respective November 2010 general elections, took their place in the upper chamber:

• Senator Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City (District 6)
• Senator Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit (District 8)
• Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-St. Louis (District 14)
• Senator Dan Brown, R-Rolla (District 16)
• Senator Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown (District 18)
• Senator Jay Wasson, R-Nixa (District 20)
• Senator John Lamping, R-St. Louis (District 24)
• Senator Brian Nieves, R-Washington (District 26)
• Senator Mike Parson, R-Bolivar (District 28)
• Senator Bob Dixon, R-Springfield (District 30)
• Senator Ron Richard, R-Joplin (District 32)
• Senator Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph (District 34)

In addition, five members were re-elected to the Missouri Senate, including Sen. Scott T. Rupp, R-Wentzville (2nd District); Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis (4th District); Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City (10th District); Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah (12th District); and Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City (22nd District).

In early November, the Senate Majority Caucus endorsed Sen. Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, to serve as Senate President Pro Tem.  The Missouri Senate unanimously approved Sen. Mayer’s nomination to serve in this capacity.  The pro tem is in charge of appointing committee members, assigning legislation to committees, and ruling on points of order raised during debate, among other responsibilities. 

During Sen. Mayer’s opening day address to the Senate, he lists the chamber’s legislative priorities for the 2011 legislative session, including improving Missouri’s economic climate by focusing on job growth and retention; creating a balanced and fiscally responsible budget while protecting Missouri taxpayers; continuing the Senate’s commitment to education by providing every Missouri student with a world-class education; making health care more available, affordable and portable for all citizens, and also focusing on other issues such as agriculture and election reform.

Senator Mayer and Sen. Victor Callahan, D-Independence, share their legislative priorities in this edition of the Senate Minute.  Click here to listen.

Lawmakers also adopted a rule change regarding several Senate committees.  The Senate Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee is now the Committee on Governmental Accountability, which is responsible for reviewing, studying, and investigating all matters to the application, administration, execution, and effectiveness of all state laws and programs, among other charges.  The committee also considers legislation relating to improving governmental efficiency and management.

“Emerging Issues” was added to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs, Pensions and Urban Affairs Committee.  Now known as the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Emerging Issues, Pensions and Urban Affairs, members of this panel are charged with considering and reporting on bills concerning veterans’ affairs; issues of statewide or immediate concern; retirement; pensions and pension plans; and urban renewal, housing and other matters relating to urban areas.

Finally, the Senate Ways and Means Committee is now known as the Committee on Ways and Means and Fiscal Oversight.  Among other charges, the committee is responsible for considering and reporting on all bills, except regular appropriation measures, that require new funding or expenditures in excess of $100,000.

With the 2011 legislative session underway, lawmakers in the Senate turn their focus to the chamber’s “Rebooting Government” initiative.  First created in March 2010, working groups in this program will examine state departments and programs in order to reduce costs and maximize state resources.  Seven working groups, created by Sen. Mayer, are charged with collecting citizens’ submitted ideas through the Missouri Senate’s Rebooting Government website (www.senate.mo.gov/RebootMO) and examining how to make state government more efficient through more control, alterations or deletions.

The seven work groups will examine areas of education; general government and the Office of Administration; retirement and employee structure; social programs; tax structure and economic development; courts and public safety; and agriculture, the outdoors, the Department of Natural Resources, and transportation.  At least one member from each work group will later present his or her panels’ recommendations to members of the Senate.

Click here to listen to the Senate Minute, which features Sen. Mayer and Sen. Callahan discussing the Senate’s continued effort to “reboot” government.

This update is written monthly during the interim. To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or, when the Legislature is in session, listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom. There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:

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